Straight Talk

On 30th anniversary of Montreal Massacre, victims of misogyny will be honoured at several Vancouver events

by Charlie Smith on December 6th, 2019 at 8:51 AM
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      In 1989, Canadians didn't turn on the news and see mass shootings on a weekly or even daily basis.

      It was inconceivable that young, promising, female engineering students could be murdered en masse simply because they were women.

      But that's what happened on a horrific and unforgettable day 30 years ago at Montreal's École Polytechnique shortly before midterm exams.

      The killer declared that he despised feminists and separated the male students from the women.

      Then he shot and killed 14 women: Geneviève Bergeron, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Barbara Klucznik Widajewicz, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie St-Arneault, Annie Turcotte.

      Twelve were engineering students, one was studying in another discipline, and another was a university employee.

      The murderer left a note listing 19 feminists that he also planned to kill, including broadcaster Francine Pelletier.

      Below, you can see a documentary that she hosted in advance of the 25th anniversary of the mass murder in Montreal. 

      Video: Watch this CBC fifth estate documentary on the legacy of pain left by the Montreal Massacre on December 6, 1989.

      Several events planned in Metro Vancouver

      December 6 is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. And there are many events across Metro Vancouver to commemorate what happened 30 years ago.

      Today at 10 a.m. in Vancouver, there will be a ceremony honouring the murdered women at the Women's Monument in Thornton Park in Vancouver.

      Hundreds of shoes will be placed on the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery, where a ceremony is planned at 1 p.m.

      From 1:30 to 3 p.m., UBC will host a "Beam of Light Ceremony" at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. It's part of a series of beam of light ceremonies taking place across Canada.

      At 5 p.m., YWCA Metro Vancouver is encouraging local landmarks to participate in "Light the Night" event to remember the murdered women.

      From 6 to 7 p.m., the Public Service Alliance of Canada's Fraser Valley Area Council and the New Westminster District and Labour Council will host a candelight vigil at Holland Park in Surrey.

      From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., the WAVAW Rape Crisis Centre is hosting a performance by Butterflies in Spirit at 312 Main Street. Attendees are being asked to bring an umbrella or new socks, which will be donated to the WISH Drop-In Centre.

      And from 7 to 8 p.m., Réseau-Femmes Colombie-Britannique will light candles to remember the 14 women at the commemorative bench in front of SFU's Applied Science Building.

      On Saturday (December 7), Vancouver Rape Relief & Women's Shelter will host its annual day of events and displays on the lower level of the Vancouver Public Library's central branch from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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